New General Strike Paralyzes Greece As 100,000 Protesters Take To Athens Streets

Perhaps it is time for Eurostat to adjust its Greek economic numbers. According to a back of the envelope analysis, roughly 5% of GDP in 2010 was lost to a string of increasingly more potent general strikes, and another 10% due to downstream effects. A new one is in process currently, which will be particularly crippling as workers in the transportation industry have called for a near week-long shut down of the capital. For those travelling to the city (not sure how as all flights into the city have been cancelled), here is revised operational schedule of various means of transportation: Buses and trolleys will operate from 9 am to 9pm; The metro (all lines) will run from 10am to 6pm; Taxis will not operate between 10am and 2pm. And courtesy of "From The Greek Streets", below is a live update of events from Athens as they transpire in real time.

Live Feed from General Strike in Greece December 15th-Unrest in the Streets

2.30pm-Tens of thousands of people have entered the demonstration for
the general strike today, with some prediction estimating the
demonstration in Athens being up to 100, 000 people. Clashes with police
have begun already in the early afternoon in Athens and Thessoloniki,
with protesters throwing molotovs at police in front of Parliament in
Syntagma square in Athens, a riot police bus burned near Parliament, and
a goverrnment building as well as hotels attacked with molotovs.

-Most recent reports say that around 2.30om the police managed to
split and scatter the demonstration at the GSEE after there were
clashes in front of Polytechnio. Some people went to the GSEE union
headquarters where there were more people, but here arrived more police
who scattered people with beatings and teargas. Unconfirmed reports
say that people moved into the Polytechnio, Exarcia, and Plaza Victoria
recently. There are reports of riots in and around Exarcia and that it
is impossible to enter the neighborhood.

-There is a confirmed report that a police riot squad bus was burned
sometime around 1.30 directly in front of the national garden next to
Parliament.

-In front of the museum Polytechnio there is a confirmed report that a
Delta force of about 7 police on motorcycles were attacked by
protesters when they police motorcycles drove into the demonstration.
They were thrown from their motorcycles and the motorcycles were
attacked, as well as the policemen.

-The entrance of the Minister of Economics building was burned after a
molotov attack in the beggining of the demonstration. From here the
majority of the demonstration headed to the parliament after the police
split the demonstration.

-The police split the demonstration again at the Parliament using
tear gas and beatings. However, people returned to the Parliament anyway
and regrouped, and this is when the riot police bus was burned.

-Reports say that all the luxurious cars in front of the Grand
Bretagne and the Saint George hotels directly in front of Parliament
have been burned in the past few hours. Also there are reports that
protesters attacked with fire the entrances to these hotels, and that
there in damage to the buildings. These are the most luxurious hotels
in the capital.

-There is a report that the ex-minister of the New Democracy Party has been beaten by protesters..

There is an unknown number of arrests. One person in Syntagma has
been injured after being run over by a police motorcycle by either DIAS
or DELTA police, he has been hospitalized. Reports say that there is a
massive amount of teargas being deployed by the police in Syntagma.

In Thessoloniki the demonstration was reported to be massive and “passionate”. At least 20 arrests have been reported there.

In Athens the general strike demonstration began at 11 with a gathering at the archeological museum.